


Time Spent Wisely

by Septembre_Rain (Zyrielle)



Series: The Dad Book [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dadfic, Friendship is a beautiful thing, Not Shippy, Parent Cor Leonis, Young Gladiolus Amicitia, Young Noctis Lucis Caelum, Young Prompto Argentum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-01 20:23:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19184923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zyrielle/pseuds/Septembre_Rain
Summary: That time when Regis got Monica involved in his Cor-related shenanigans and Clarus meets a new bff.Monica is all too happy to mess with her boss.





	Time Spent Wisely

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter will skip time towards the end.

 

 

**Time Spent Wisely**

 

 

 

"Clarus I need another afternoon off."

"You're still banned from fishing Regis."

"A pity and an unnecessary cruelty, but that isn't what I had in mind."

"If you only behaved Regis, getting an afternoon or a day off for either of us wouldn't be so difficult."

"Oh come on, Clarus old friend, it's been weeks since that last time, and no one was hurt."

"My car was ruined-"

"That's on you Clarus. There's a reason you were never the designated driver-"

"My son doesn't want to get in the car when I drive."

"With good reason."

"My wife didn't let me in our bedroom for seven weeks. I slept in the guest room-"

"Well you should have enjoyed the freedom-"

"The elite guard wanted to know if they were allowed to restrain you if ever you posed a threat to yourself or the prince."

"…"

"…"

"What did you say?"

"I said yes, if it ever came to that. I'm sure Cor would agree."

"I'm pretty sure that's treason."

"Oh no, they won't hurt you. Just restrain you if you ever pull off a stunt like that again."

"Why do you all have sticks up your butts? It was completely safe. It was training exercise."

"… Training exercise? Really Regis? You're going with that?"

"It's not fair that only you and Cor get to train and test them. Surely the king gets a hand in it as well."

"By throwing your son up in the air?"

"No better test than the real thing I tell you."

Clarus pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going nowhere.

"Just tell me what you have planned and I'll see what we can do about it."

Regis' face lit up like a firework as a smile split his face. "I thought you'd never ask. You're going to love this."

Clarus just sighs.

"We need an afternoon off to do some shopping."

"Pardon?"

"Oh come on Clarus. I know you aren't that slow."

Clarus just looks at him with a face that says he's 8000% done with Regis' shit.

"Ugh alright fine, I'll explain. So you know who just recently became a dad?"

Clarus wracks his brain. None of the councilmen were new parents. Was it one of the Crownsguard? One of the Glaives perhaps?

"Oh for fucks sake. It’s Cor, Clarus, Cor 'I stole a baby' Leonis. Remember?"

"I do not think that counts as him becoming a parent Regis-"

"You don't spend weeks with a baby without getting attached."

Clarus ponders on this a bit. Regis continues.

"Remember how it was with Gladio? Now think that, except there's no wife, no Jared, no mansion, and you're both running for your lives. Who knows what the Empire will do to this child if they get him back. You're all this little child has Clarus. His survival depends on you."

Clarus' eyes brighten with moisture. He sighs.

"So what are you saying?"

"Cor's going to need baby supplies when he returns. You know what it was like."

"My wife handled that, and Jared too."

"Cor doesn't have a wife or a Jared. He needs all the help he can get."

Clarus thinks. Regis was right. Raising a baby was not easy. Regis and Clarus had wives and hired hands to help them out, but Cor didn't have anyone but himself. Knowing Cor, he was least likely to ask for help out of all of them. The Six know how many times Clarus and Regis had come to help their youngest out because Cor had backed himself into a corner and refused to say anything. Of course Clarus was down to help. Always. But they were missing something here.

"What makes you think he's going to keep the baby?"

"What makes you think he won't?"

"That's not a reason. This baby was a creation of Besithia. He needs to be kept under observation and protected at all costs!"

"Who better to watch him then?"

Clarus has no response to that.

"Alright Regis, but what do you need an entire day off for?"

"How can we do any decent shopping with all the work we have to do?"

"You know we can assign someone else to do this right? Like Ms. Elshett?"

"Oh she's coming with us."

"She's what now?"

"I told her of my plans to arrange a security detail and she said that If I took someone else other than her, she'd slit my throat in my sleep."

"She said WHAT?"

"Well, not in those exact words but that was the gist of it."

Clarus sighs. He knew that being Cor's right hand required a backbone of steel, and he knew Monica. What was he expecting really?

"And you went behind my back to arrange this?"

"All I really need is just for you is to say 'yes' at this point."

"Regis, if only you were this efficient with all your other tasks, we could have a day off every week."

"Oh hush Clarus, don't push it."

Clarus drops back to his seat. Times like these, he wonders why he even tries to refuse Regis.

"Alright" He sighs finally.

Regis smugly smiles and claps his hands once.

"Great! We leave tomorrow. Wear something comfortable. We'll make a day of it."

Clarus runs a hand over his face. He stopped being surprised ages ago.

  
…..

  
Of course Insomnia's largest shopping mall was closed for maintenance checks.

Clarus looked at Monica with a raised eyebrow when they drove into the mall's back entrance. She looked very pleased with herself.

Noctis was burbling happily away in the pram that Regis was pushing. The little prince was observing the colorful surroundings and large shiny displays that lined the halls Insomnia's largest mall.

Gladio's hand was tugging his father's, pulling him forward, pointing at all the colorful displays of candies and toys.

The queen and Clarus' wife had decided to make the most of the day off and pamper themselves since the fathers were taking the children.

When had this turned into a daddy's outing again?

The Crownsguard and Glaives were posted at all exits and the Elite guard were walking with them in the open for once, along with the mall's manager who was escorting them and would be arranging the delivery of their purchases. Marlana was a very nice lady. Of course she was all too happy and looking forward to making a huge profit today, and Regis was all too happy to indulge in whatever Cor might remotely need.

"I'm sure Cor doesn't need a new home entertainment system, a home gym set, or a new kitchen Regis. We came here for baby supplies, remember? Baby things."

"While I do admit that the Marshall's residence is quite sparse, I would have to agree. Besides, where would he put the child and all his needs in that one bedroom apartment?" Monica says.

Clarus and Regis look at Monica.

Sure the king and shield have been to Cor's apartment-they were practically family and have been barging in on each other since the beginning of time. But Monica? Now Cor was a VERY private person. He didn't really welcome other people into his personal domain-unless, Monica and Cor were-

The puzzled looks on their faces were enough for Monica to read their unasked questions.

"I've brought him paperwork several times and water his cacti when he's deployed." She deadpans.

Regis lets out a surprised laugh, Clarus looks abashed.

"And here I thought-"

"Please don't think your Majesty-I mean don’t ever think of me and the Marshal in that way. Again. Ever."

Several of the elite guards were snickering. Monica shoots them a glare and they quiet down.

"Ah, here we are at last: The baby section." Marlana announces in a sing-song voice.

"Indeed." Monica says dryly.

"I didn't realize that there was so much." Clarus gulps.

"You both aren't backing down from a challenge are you?" Regis asks cockily, even as his voice cracks a little.

Marlana is simply glowing at them. "Oh, don't worry. I know exactly what it is you will need."

  
….

  
"Why are there so many designs to choose from?"

"I don't know Regis. I don't even think babies know the difference between a Moogle, a tonberry, and a cactuar yet."

"They do actually." Monica says. "When in doubt, we can ask an actual baby." She then points at the prince and his young shield happily building a fort with all the pillows and plushies they could find.

"They're all…"

"Indeed they are."

Both fathers eye the ghastly feathered fort. It looked like a bird zoo where the creatures had been cross bred with a color wheel and a rainbow puked over them.

"Hello boys." Monica calls cheerfully, grabbing their attention. She puts a moogle and a tonberry each of in Clarus' hands, a cactuar and a malbuddy in Regis'. She then holds up two different chocobos in her hands.

"Which one of these do you like best?"

"Choobooooos!!!!" Gladio squeals, running towards Monica, wrapping himself around her.

"Choh- choh! Bah!" Noct chirps, slowly getting up and waddling slowly towards her, diving into her arms to grab the feathered plushie.

How unfair.

"That was a cheat move, Elshett." Regis sulked.

"Well there's our answer." Clarus laughed. He loved seeing Gladio having fun.

"Everything Chocobo then please, Marlana."

"Of course, your Majesty." She pulls up a tablet and starts furiously typing away at it.

"Regis I just realized something."

"What is it Clarus?"

"There isn't enough space in Cor's apartments to put all these things."

"Bahamut's balls, you're right. Not that Monica didn't bring up the exact same point just minutes ago." Regis winks at Monica. She snickers.

"We could move him to a larger apartment." Monica suggests.

"You can't do that while he's gone." Clarus interjects.

"Ideas, Miss Elshett?" Regis asks.

"I could set fire to his apartment, stage it as a gas leak."

"Regis, remind me to never disagree with Ms. Elshett."

"No one in the Citadel would dare cross hairs with Cor's second-in-command."

"But really Regis, we can't just relocate his quarters. He's lived there for the past ten years."

"Sounds like the perfect reason to move him out if you ask me."

"Even if he's not exactly 'attached' to the place, it seems wrong to just uproot him."

"We're giving him a bigger apartment Clarus, not relocating him across the country."

"If I may, your Highness and Lord Amicitia?" Monica interrupted.

"Go ahead Ms. Elshett."

"Please, address me as Monica. The rooms beside the Marshall's apartment are empty. We could convert one of them into an adjacent nursery."

"That is actually a pretty good idea. I can live with that." Clarus muses, but then-

"Wait, why are the apartments next to Cor's empty?" He follows up.

"Simple. That entire floor is his. I gave it to him." Regis says simply, in a tone that was usually reserved for discussing normal everyday things like the weather.

"WHAT?" Monica and Clarus exclaimed at the same time.

"Cor likes his privacy, and he wasn't really mixing in with the other Crownsguard all too well when he was younger. Plus, he deserves it." Regis shrugs.

"No one would question that. It was just a surprise is all." Clarus says.

"That settles it then. I'll contact the team to go ahead with the renovations. I'll handle the delivery arrangements with Marlana."

"This means we need to pick more nursery stuff. Carpets, wallpaper, lamps, baby chairs…" Regis sighs.

"Oh Six above." Clarus exhales.

"But you know, Cor's furniture has been unchanged since I've known him. They're still the same ones from when he moved in." The current king muses.

"Those are positively ancient. Cor's never replaced them?" Clarus said, an incredulous look on his face.

"He hasn't, Lord Amicitia." Monica answers.

"Hmmm, age old furniture couldn't be possibly safe for babies right?" Regis says with a gleam in his eye.

"Your Majesty-"

"I thought you were tired Regis."

"Absolutely not! Marlana?" Regis snaps his fingers The mall manager appears on cue with another winning smile on her face.

…

"You've outdone yourself Monica." Regis says in awe as he enters Cor's renovated apartment.

"It's nothing your Majesty. The facilities and interior design departments were all too eager to help. They've been eyeing the Marshal's room through the years apparently. He's refused the electronics and maintenance renovations and updates since the beginning of time. The place was a fire hazard." Monica says.

"Sounds exactly like Cor to me." Clarus chuckles. He spins around in a slow circle as he studies the room.

The nursery/child's room was unbearably adorable. It was a perfect marriage between a childhood fantasy and an indulgent but tasteful interior decorator who had no self-control. Chocobos and stars littered the room from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. It was a lifelong obsession waiting to happen. Clarus knew. He had a son.

Even the entire apartment looked like it had been ripped out of a magazine. Everything was brand new and baby-proofed. It was easy to move Cor's things around because the man never really held on to material things. It was both impressive and sad. The man barely had any personal possessions, like he wasn't expecting to stay and was ready to leave in a moment's notice. Cor's apartment had been painfully sterile and devoid of personality when they had entered. Maybe having someone in his life like this child would be good for him. Then Cor would perhaps see himself as someone other than a soldier, having someone to care for like this.

The boy certainly exuded a tough and heartless exterior and he would have been just that through and through had it not been for Regis and the rest of his retinue. Clarus hopes they had done enough to teach Cor compassion and kindness. Cor taking on this child would certainly test that. But then, him taking and attempting to care for the child was proof enough right? He even asked them for help! Clarus could already feel ulcers forming in his stomach and Cor and the child weren't even in Lucis yet.

Regis went full bananas. Well, Regis never learned moderation or subtlety when it came to the rest of his retinue, no matter how hard Clarus and Wesk tried. Cid just enjoyed laughing in the background and Cor would grumble.

"Cor never let me get him anything for his birthdays or Christmas!" he huffed, as if that justified what he was doing.

With Regis being Regis and Clarus being Clarus, of course it turned into a freaking competition of who could get Cor the best gift. If Monica hadn't been with them at the time, they might have bought out half of the entire mall.

They settle on the new plush leather couch-Clarus' selection, as Monica sets coffee and treats from her favorite café on the ornate black coffee table-Regis' choice.

Clarus takes a sip of the coffee and a bite off the cronut. "You're right Monica. These are delicious. I'll have to visit this place soon." Clarus and Monica had been developing a fast friendship as of late. Serving under insufferable leaders certainly brought them together.

"Don't forget to get me those rainbow bagels Clarus." Regis said, finishing his cronut and reaching for another. Of course Regis still acted like a 15 year old. Clarus had never been able to cure him of it.

"I thought you were talking the Citadel Chefs into making you those." Clarus said.

"I'm still banned from the kitchens. Libby's still upset with me. The patissier on the other hand, balked at the food coloring and called it a toxic mess. Did you know that all our chefs are nutritionists? They're so uptight! I'll never get to eat a rainbow anything at this point!" Regis whined.

Monica chuckled. It was certainly refreshing to see the King like this. Cor sometimes spoke of the king when he did, it was rarely to praise him. She often wondered if Cor was exaggerating or attempting to crack a joke but Cor simply wasn't the type. Sure Regis was an infamous troll in the Citadel but it was quite difficult to believe when all she saw of the man was the prim and proper king who was all dignity and manners. That all changed that morning the king knocked on the door of her office.

"I'll talk to Libby, your Majesty." Monica offered.

No one in the Citadel said 'no' to Monica. **No one.**

"Please Monica, I do believe we're close enough for you to call me Regis. We've no need for formality in the presence of friends." Regis' face lit up with glee.

"I'll get you your rainbow bagel Regis, if you finish that report I've been pestering you about. And extra flavors if you smack it on that snooty Altissian Ambassador." Clarus said.

Monica laughs outright at that. Regis grumbles.

"So, how do we explain all this to Cor again?" Clarus says, biting into his second cronut.

"I've gotten that figured out. We could tell Cor that he won an online lottery-" Regis starts.

"No."

"Or that I've taken an interest to interior decorations-"

"No."

"There was a rat infestation-"

"No."

"His apartment had been broken into and he had been robbed-"

"Absolutely not Regis. Nobody, not unless they had half of Weskham's skills or your levels or ridiculousness would even dare-"

"If I may, King Regis, Clarus," Monica says, sipping her coffee.

"I'll simply tell the Marshal that there was a leak of sorts." She explained, as if it was that simple.

"That's it?" Regis asks.

"The Marshal never questions anything I say." she deadpans.

"Alright. We'll leave it to you then, Monica." Clarus beamed.

Clarus was liking Monica more and more. "Brilliant."

"That's so unfair but mighty convenient. Our paths should cross more often Monica." Regis says with a gleam in his eyes.

"You know where to find me King Regis."

  
…Several Weeks later…

 

"So you're telling me, that you came over to water my cacti but pipes in the sink burst and wet everything including the kitchen outlet which in turn sparked a fire which hit the gas line and a fire ensued, but not a big one because everything was wet." Cor said.

"Yes. It is exactly as in the report." Monica said, her face devoid of emotion.

"And Regis and Clarus just happened to be outside my door because they missed me and helped you put out the fire."

"They were both very valiant." Monica says, deadpan unshakeable.

"And then someone, you don't know who, chucked a blizzara into my apartment."

"Yes, there were several Glaives and Crownsguard by that time."

"And thus obliterating my furniture."

"You have to understand Marshal, between the fire, smoke, live electricity, and his Majesty throwing himself in the fray, it was utter chaos." Monica sips at her cat mug.

"This document has been signed by the king and the shield, and all the departments involved-hell even Titus' signature is here."

"Of course. It's an official report after all." Monica looks at him, finally deigning Cor with a questioning look.

"Is there anything wrong?" She asks Cor.

Cor sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. Sensing his distress, the blond baby on his chest sputters, placing pudgy hands on Cor's face.

"I'm alright." Cor says gruffly to the puffy face in front of him.

The baby simply glares at him and attempts to climb up his chest and settles his arms around the sides of Cor's head, effectively hugging the Marshal's face, and suffocating him.

Monica tries very, very hard not to breathe lest she burst out laughing or gushing. She instead takes advantage of Cor's temporary blindness to snap photos, and maybe a short video. Regis and Clarus would love these.

The tiny human was somehow very attuned to Cor's emotions. Strange.

"So… What's his name?" Monica asks.

Large watery cornflower blue eyes look at her. Gods those eyes were unnaturally beautiful.

The Marshal remained silent.

"Marshal?"

"…"

"You haven't named him yet, have you?"

"Bleh!" The baby say happily.

Monica simply sighs.

 

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

  
Bonus: CLARUS' FLASHBACK

Clarus must have been dying. That was the only logical explanation for the ringing in his ears, the splitting headache, bone-deep exhaustion, and the pain in his chest.

There was something, something important. Very important. He had to get up. He had to go to it.

"Clarus. Clarus!" He could hear his wife's voice at the back of his head, but she seemed so distant, so very far away.

He gets up and stumbles through the darkness anyway. He had to get to the source, it was calling him. It needed him. Bad.

He pushes the door open and heeds the call.

He picks him up, young and light and struggling.

"There, there Gladio. Hush now. Daddy's here."

Wide amber eyes framed by long dark lashes blink and focus at him. Their son was a carbon copy of his mother, and was sure to be a heartbreaker when he came of age.

Pudgy arms and legs struggle against the blanket the baby tries to get closer to his father.

Clarus carefully repositions the baby and settles on the rocking chair. Gladio is now laying on his chest, which seems to satisfy him as he has stopped crying and squirming.

He places his hands on his son's back, gently stroking whilst his legs get them on a slow rocking pace.

Bleary golden eyes blink at him before closing once again.

He looked so peaceful asleep. Sure he was drooling a puddle on Clarus' pajamas, but being covered in his son's slime was common occurrence these days.

Resting his head against the chair, Clarus closes his eyes and rests.

 

 

########################################################################################

 

 

Bonus +1:

_Ring_

Monica glares at her phone. Cor knows he isn't supposed to call before she's up. Him doing so could only mean an emergency of outmost importance.

She spares a glance at her screen to see the time before swiping to answer.

The name on the screen isn't the Marshal's. She is suddenly wide awake. _This couldn't be a fluke, could it?_

She picks up.

"Ms. Elshett. I need your help."

"I suspected that. What have you done this time?"

"I need to get rid of a body."

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> We know Monica would totally take any and every opportunity to screw Cor over. 
> 
> This was her shining moment. She was so proud.


End file.
